robjdixon said:
i was wondering how hard it is to take off the copper wire pad attached to the diode. it seems much closer to the diode itself than the reds. are there any tips or tricks?
Extracting these diodes is not too difficult, though it is a tedious bit of work. I use a regular soldering iron, a long nose pliers, and an x-acto knife to do this.
First, the diode + heatsink pops neatly off the sled - a few dabs of some white goo hold it there. Next, I recommend removing the back wire pad BEFORE removing the diode from the heatsink - this will help keep the diode from getting too heat while you remove the back bit.
It's almost a three hand job. First I've got the soldering iron (just a plain 15 watt iron) warmed up and resting on a brick. Then I carefully hold the diode+heatsink using a pliers, and with the other hand I slip an xacto knife under one end of the pad. I then carefully touch the copper pad (PCB) to the soldering iron (touch the iron to the soldered diode legs) and twist the knife (once the solder has melted) a little to raise the pcb a bit. Don't hold the diode to the soldering iron for more than 3-5 seconds. Let it thoroughly cool off before continuing!! I then switch to the other side of the pad and continue lifting. Sometime I'll use the pliers. Just take your time and slowly work it off, never hold the diode to the iron for more than a few seconds at a time. Remember the diode is fragile, so it's not hard to rip its legs off while doing this - finesee required! Be patient.
To get the diode out of the heatsink I, again, use an xacto knife and a pliers. Hold the heatsink carefully with a pliers (the two long ends), and then use the xacto knife to slowly saw through the thin part of the heatsink. It takes patience and a lot of elbow grease, but you have more control than using a drill, and less vibrations too. Once the cut is deep enough I simply insert a small flat head jewelers screwdriver into the cut and twist to split the heatsink off the diode. Make certain to cover the diode window with some tape before doing this to protect it from metal shavings.
For the low powered xbox diodes I use a different technique. There's enough of the diode flange sticking out from the back of the heatsink to catch it with a sharp knife and pop it out. Like opening a clam.
I used to work in a shop repairing watches and replacing watch batteries, so I have a few skills working up close with small bits. No special tools needed. Though it does help to be near sighted, or at least have a good loupe so you can see what you're doing.
